Movie Review – Big Hero 6

The school’s professor, Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell), holds competitions in order to recruit high potential students, so Hiro submits his invention, thousands of self-assembling microbots that can instantly form structures and new forms of transportation. They catch the eye of rich tech magnate Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk), but Hiro denies his generous offer to accept entry to the university.

Shortly following the competition, tragedy strikes, killing Tadashi and Professor Callaghan, as well as destroying Hiro’s invention.

A grief-stricken Hiro finds comfort in Baymax (Scott Adsit), his brothers robot who is genuinely concerned with the well-being of his new owner. Showing his zealous nature to treat his patient, Baymax helps Hiro discover that the tragedy that claimed his brothers life may not have been accidental. The duos investigation pits them against a mysterious villian (in a Kabuki mask) who is mass-producing Hiro’s microbots for his evil bidding.

Greatly overmatched, Hiro upgrades his robotic buddy into a capable superhero. He also recruits four students from the nerd lab to form the Big Hero 6 team. With friends and ingenuity at arms, Hiro sets out to solve his brothers demise and bring Kabuki mask guy to justice.

Unwilling to rest on their laurels, the animators at Disney Animation Studios have succeeded at raising the bar of quality artwork in their films. With a reported 670 characters and 83,000 building lots, including over 200,000 streetlights and 250,000 tress, this is clearly Disney’s most ambitious project to date. The world of San Fransokyo is magnificent. It’s also the perfect canvas for cramming as many easter eggs as humanly possible into a single Disney and Marvel movie. I’m not complaining, the replay value here is unprecedented.

Where Big Hero 6 loses points is in the execution of the secondary team members. Fred (T.J. Miller), the slacker and fire-breathing dragon fan is woefully underutilized, as well as Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez), the level-headed chemistry enthusiast. Go Go (Jamie Chung) and Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.) are mirrors of Incredibles characters that bring little to the table. I’m unsure if these characters are any more important in Marvel’s books (of which this film is very loosely based), but they are an oversight in this instance.

Thankfully the relationship between Hiro and Baymax is believable. As an audience, we become emotionally attached to them and their oft-comedic relationship. Baymax is Disney’s next big marketable icon. He is unlike his comic book counterpart in every way imaginable. He is large, lovable and guaranteed to be a merchandising cash cow with the inevitable success of Big Hero 6. Hiro and Baymax are this movie.

I recruited my children to review the movie, and to no surprise, they have become instant fans of Baymax. See that paragraph about merchandising? That’s me come Christmas. Big Hero 6 is deserving of its success as it is a well-blended story of grief and healing through the power of friendship, as well as the next-level animation. There are a few character hang-ups, but easily forgiven.

Want to know about all the Big Hero 6 easter eggs? Check out our list of the best surprises and Marvel cameos.